


Half-First Date

by JoMouse



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Christmas, Christmas Eve, M/M, Meet-Cute, Missed Connections, Student Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-18 05:17:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21739063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse
Summary: Derek and Stiles meet one winter at the ski shop where Derek works. They spend the next year trying to have a first date. When Stiles moves to New York for college, he gives up on any chance of dating Derek.Christmas Eve rolls around and Stiles finds himself alone and in the grocery store reaching for the last can of cranberries.Inspired by "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses.Posted as part ofThe 12 Days of Sterekevent.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 10
Kudos: 99
Collections: 12 Days of Sterek





	Half-First Date

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays!
> 
> I have to admit, I used to despise the song "Christmas Wrapping," but sometime in the last year it grew on me and I realized it would make an awesome fic. So, I wrote it. Hopefully, you enjoy it as much as I did.
> 
> Big thanks as always to my beta [Marie](http://quietzap.tumblr.com) and my cheerleader, Jenn.
> 
> xx-Joey
> 
> Don't know 'em. Don't own 'em. Don't show 'em.

Stiles stood in line at the ski shop, tapping his fingers against his thigh, one ski over his shoulder and feet sweating in the ski boots on his feet. In the fifteen minutes he'd already been in line, he'd stripped out of his hat, gloves, and scarf. His jacket and the bibs to his snow pants were both unzipped but sweat still dripped down the side of his face as he glared at the back of the brunette in line ahead of him, leaning over the counter and batting her eyes at the guy behind the counter.

His most recent huff must have been louder than he’d planned because the guy looked up, their eyes meeting and Stiles' impatience flying out on the wind as the door opened behind him letting in more people to the ski shop. He licked his lips suddenly desperate for something to drink, his throat dry and his heart crawling into it as he continued to stare, nearly choking when the Adonis winked at him before turning his back on the girl in front of him and shouting towards the back. "Erica! Need some help out here!"

Blonde curls bounced out of the back room and over to the counter, eyes widening as she took in the line of people between the counter and the door before punching Adonis. "Asshole, you should've called me out sooner," she said, waving Stiles up to the counter. She opened her mouth to greet him when she was picked up and moved to stand in front of the brunette who sputtered unintelligently when Adonis leaned over the counter and winked at Stiles.

"Hi. I'm Derek. How can I help you?" he asked, eyes locked on his. 

"Um, well," Stiles started, swinging the ski off his shoulder and wincing as it made contact with the brunette's shoulder and she whirled around screaming at him as Derek took the ski from him and laid it on the counter, a smirk twisting his lips as he looked it over.

"Hey," the blonde, Erica, snapped at her. "It's not his fault he's a spaz. Chill out or get out." The brunette huffed and pushed away from the counter, glaring at Derek as she went. Erica winked at Stiles and shrugged as she called out, "Next!"

"The toe cup is broken," Derek said, pulling Stiles' attention back to him. He was bent over the ski, pushing at it for a moment before looking back up at Stiles. "I can fix it, but it's going to take a little bit." He looked behind Stiles with furrowed eyebrows. "Gotta get through the line first."

"I got this," Erica said. "Next! Go take care of spaz's ski."

"Stiles." The blonde raised her eyebrows as a little boy came up to the counter with a pair of gloves in one hand and a couple of bills clutched in the other. "I'm Stiles. Not spaz."

"Whatever, Batman," she said, gesturing to the sticker on the tip of his ski and turning her attention on the little boy.

"Follow me, Stiles," Derek said, lifting a section of the counter and gesturing him through. 

Stiles followed Derek into the back of the shop, half of the room set up with storage shelves and bins and the other worktables with skiing and snowboarding equipment scattered across the surfaces. Approaching one that was relatively clear, he laid the ski down on it and approached one of the bins, digging through it before coming back with a toe clip. "How'd you manage to do this? Did you fall?" he asked as he got to work removing the old part.

"Nah. I just got here an hour ago and when I went to put it on, it wouldn't click," Stiles told him. "I've been in line since."

"Sorry. It gets a little busy this time of year. Everyone's taking family vacations for the holidays. You here with family?" Derek asked, glancing up as he removed the old toe clip and grabbed the new one.

"Friends. I just live down the mountain in Beacon Hills. I go to the high school," he offered the information as he reached out and picked up the old toe clip, poking at it.

"You're in high school?" Derek choked out, his hands freezing in mid-turn of the screw as he stared at him. "Dammit."

"I'm a senior. And eighteen," Stiles told him, placing his hand over Derek's and forcing him to turn the screwdriver again.

"Good to know," Derek told him, not shaking off his hand and continuing to work as the conversation between them flowed easily despite it being typical get-to-know-you fare.

They continued to talk once the ski was done and the next thing they knew, Stiles' phone was buzzing with a text from Scott looking for him because Allison had twisted her ankle and they wanted to head home. "Shit, I gotta go. Can I give you my number and we can get together?" he asked Derek who was already arching his back to reach into his back pocket and pull out his phone, handing it over to Stiles.

"I'd like that," he said.

Grinning, Stiles took a selfie of himself to set as a contact photo and put in his number, sending a text off to himself so he would have the number. Derek laughed when he got the phone back and Stiles snapped a photo of that laugh to use on his phone for Derek's photo. "Did you really just sext yourself on my phone?" 

Stiles grinned as he walked towards the door. "Just letting you know what could be on the table when we get together," he said, winking and hurrying out the door when Derek's laughter followed him out.

Derek texted him a week later, asking if he wanted to get together but Stiles had plans to go out of town for Christmas with his father and asked for a raincheck. When he got back, he texted Derek inviting him to a New Year's Eve party at his friend Lydia's house, but Derek had to work and it was too late to ask for the night off because everyone else already had plans. Stiles pouted but he understood, it wasn't like he hadn't already been too busy to go out when Derek had asked.

When the new year started, Stiles got a job helping his dad out at the station as well as the mock trial team at school. His after school hours were spent in either the library or the station until dinner and then he'd spend the rest of his waking hours studying to keep his grades up while applying to colleges. Derek texted him a couple of times to see if he wanted to get together but he was always too busy and the few times Stiles had time, Derek was either working or babysitting his sister's kids. 

The snow was melting and flowers just starting to bloom when Stiles walked into the University library a few miles from home, looking to find a book on legal precedents that the public library didn't carry. He was looking at his phone, trying to figure out where in the large building he would find the law section when he ran into someone. "Shit, I'm sorry," he said, bending down to pick up his phone that had fallen to the ground in the collision.

"Stiles?"

His head snapped up and laughter escaped him before he could even form a complete thought. "Derek!" He started to throw his arms around him in a hug, freezing when he remembered they didn't really know each other that well.

Derek had no such reservations and pulled Stiles into a hug. "It's really great to see you! What are you doing here?" he asked when he pulled back, keeping his hands on Stiles' biceps as he looked him up and down like he hadn't seen him in years rather than just a few months.

"If the next words out of your mouth are 'my how much you've grown,' I'm kicking you in the junk and leaving you to die," Stiles said, but was grinning too wide for the words to hold any bite. "I'm looking for a law book," he explained gesturing to the building around him.

"Mock trial?" Derek asked and Stiles nodded, glad that he'd remembered things that he'd told him about, even if it was just the reasons they couldn't get together. "I can help you look, if you want."

"You have time?" The words came out sharper than he'd intended and he mirrored Derek's wince. "Sorry. I'd love the help."

They walked up the stairs of the library, shoulders bumping as they went, talking about how school was going for both of them. Derek showed him pictures of his sister's kids and Stiles showed him some of his friend Scott and him, complaining again about his girlfriend Allison, the same girl he'd been skiing with when he and Derek had met. They found the book they were looking for when the alarm on Derek's phone went off, the corners of his mouth turning down in a frown as he turned it off.

"What?" Stiles asked.

"I totally forgot that I have to work," Derek told him. "I was really hoping we could grab lunch."

Stiles frowned but he nodded his head. "Yeah, lunch definitely. Tomorrow?"

"Birthday party tomorrow night for my dad. I'll be spending the day helping my mom and sisters make the food." He hesitated. "Did you want to come to the party?" Stiles sighed. "You can't?" They shook their heads at the same time as his alarm sounded again. "Alright, I'll text you. We'll get this figured out." 

This time Stiles didn't hesitate to pull Derek into a hug, promising to text him so they could make plans and waving at him until his head disappeared down the stairs. His arm dropped and his forced smile faded as he headed towards the checkout desk, book under his arm and thoughts of Derek on his mind.

Graduation came and went. Derek was on vacation with his parents for the month of June, missing both the ceremony and Stiles' graduation party. At that point, the invitations were half-hearted with no real hope that Derek would be able to attend but his disappointment was deep anyway.

Scott and Allison invited Stiles to Allison's family's beach house for the weekend of the Fourth. Although he didn't want to be a third wheel again, he looked forward to the sun and water and spending one last big weekend with Scott before Stiles left for college in New York. His dad was going to be working overtime to cover for one of the deputies that was on maternity leave so he packed his bag and climbed into his Jeep to go pick up Scott and Allison for the couple of hour drive. 

They were stopped to get some food when Stiles' phone rang and he was surprised to see Derek's face on the screen. "Hello?"

"Hey, Stiles." Derek's voice was echoing like he was on speakerphone. "Are you okay to talk?"

"Yeah," he said, slowly, raising his eyebrows at Scott and Allison who were approaching, arms loaded down with snacks and drinks. "Are you alright? You never call."

"Yeah. I'm driving so I couldn't really text. What are you doing this weekend?" he asked.

"I'm actually headed to Scott's girlfriend's beach house," he said. 

"Dammit," Derek said. "I was hoping I could convince you to come out on my boat with me for the day tomorrow." Stiles heard something that sounded like Derek hitting the steering wheel. "Maybe another day."

"Yeah, maybe," Stiles said and although it wasn't the first time they had failed to make a connection, something deep in his heart made Stiles certain it would be the last time. If they couldn't get together when they lived in the same state, there was no way they'd be able to living across the country from each other.

The weekend ended up being a lot of fun, but Stiles got a sunburn bad enough that he was determined to stay out of the sun for the rest of the summer and his father actually supported that decision as he got ready to leave for college. He spent his days playing video games with Scott and his evenings spending time with his dad and packing everything up for college. He was going to drive across country in the Jeep with his dad and then his dad was going to fly home. The Jeep wasn't going to hold everything so they were going to tow a small trailer behind it that they could return to a rental station not far from campus.

Saying goodbye to his dad was tough and when he got back to his dorm, his phone buzzed and he was surprised to see Derek's name on the screen. Opening the message, he frowned as he read it. Derek was telling him he was moving out of state and he was really sorry that they'd never been able to get together. He hoped they'd keep in touch, but understood if they didn't. Stiles didn't know how to respond to that so he didn't.

The first semester of college was an adjustment. Stiles struggled to make friends but eventually fell in with a group of students in his criminal psychology class. His days were filled with study groups and a couple of hours doing his work study in his dorm's cafeteria. As the months passed, he missed his father more and more but looked forward to Christmas when his father was going to fly to New York to spend the holiday with him. They had a ton of plans for the few days his father managed to get off of work.

The day before his father was to fly out, one of the deputies was injured in the line of duty and was put on indefinite medical leave. Tara would be alright, it was just a broken leg from a car bumping her during a routine traffic stop, but recovery would be slow. They were already down a deputy who had transferred to another department a month earlier, so his father had to stay and work extra shifts just like the rest of the deputies.

All of his friends had gone home for the holidays and none of them lived close enough for him to invite himself over, so he resigned himself to the idea of hanging out in the dorms and having Chinese food delivered, but his father told him to take advantage of their reservations in the city since they were already budgeted for, so Stiles found himself checking into a pretty fancy hotel on Christmas Eve alone. As he opened the door to the room, he grinned at the kitchenette in the room. He was used to cooking Christmas dinner for his father so he figured he could do it for himself to have a little bit of traditional Christmas even if he was alone.

Pulling out his phone, he checked for a nearby grocery store and there was one within walking distance, so he grabbed his backpack and emptied it out to carry the food in and hurried down the stairs and out of the hotel. He was creating a mental list in his head of everything he would need, figuring he could downsize from a full turkey to just a tiny breast or maybe even go crazy with a Cornish hen, same shape, itty-bitty size. He knew it was ridiculous to even consider cooking when there was only a couple of pans provided by the hotel, but he would do the best that he could. He was smiling to himself as he entered the grocery store and groaned at the massive crowd filling in just about every inch of the store.

Determined, he squared his shoulders and pushed past an older couple that were arguing about the virtues of fresh cranberry sauce and canned. Shaking his head, he reached for one of the few cans on the shelf that were left, freezing when his hand connected with someone else reaching for the same one. "Sorry, this is mine," he said, tugging on it hard enough to pull the other person off balance and into him. 

"Damn," he said, shoving a very solid chest away from him and gaping when he jerked his eyes away from the muscles beneath an extremely ugly Christmas sweater to look into the face of the last person he'd expected to see in the state of New York. "Derek?"

Green eyes widened and a blinding grin broke across his face. "Stiles! What are you doing in New York?"

"I go to school here," he said. "You?"

"Same," Derek told him. "My sister's husband got a job here and Laura asked me to come along to help with the kids until they were settled, but I liked it here and decided to go to grad school. I told you I was moving out of state."

Stiles shoved him again, laughing. "You didn't tell me out of state meant New York! I had weeks where I had nothing to do! We could've gotten lunch finally."

"You never told me you were in New York! I figured you were going to Berkeley or something close to your dad," Derek told him and it was then a woman cleared her throat and pointed to the can of cranberries they were still both holding.

"Can I have those?" she asked and Stiles shook his head.

"No, these are mine," Stiles told her.

"Um, actually they’re mine," Derek argued. "Laura will kill me if I don't bring these home, she already threatened grievous bodily harm because I hadn't already gotten them. Don't tell me you forgot the cranberries, too."

The woman rolled her eyes and yanked the can out of their hands and hurried away as Derek growled after her. "Laura's gonna kill me."

"You could always make fresh," Stiles offered, sighing when he realized that cranberries wouldn't be on his menu this year. 

"You can make cranberries?" Derek asked. "They don't just come in a can?"

Stiles laughter started small and soon built until he had to put a hand on Derek's shoulder to hold himself up, the unimpressed look on Derek's face just made it worse and soon he was wiping away tears and Derek's lips were twitching into a smile. "I can show you to the cranberries and text you a quick rundown on how to do it," he offered, patting him on the shoulder and turning on his heel to head towards produce, hoping that enough people were like Derek and that there would still be bags of cranberries available; at least he'd be able to save somebody's Christmas.

He was going through the few bags of fresh cranberries that were left, feeling them to be sure they were ripe enough and not too squishy when Derek caught up to him. "It's nice of you to take the time out of your shopping to help me."

"No worries," Stiles told him, handing off one bag. "How many people?"

"Oh, um, just me and my sister's family actually," Derek said. "We invited Erica and her boyfriend, but they are spending the holidays with Erica's parents and tickets out here are expensive."

"Tell me about it," Stiles said. "One bag will be enough. You'll also need sugar and lemon and orange zest. Do you have a zester?" He started to walk towards citrus when Derek stopped him with a hand on his arm. 

"Don't you need some?"

Stiles shook his head. "I don't have the extra money for the sugar and everything," he told him. "The kitchenette at the hotel doesn't have a pantry." There were some sugar packets, so maybe he would have enough packets for a cup of sugar. He was debating as he walked when he realized that Derek wasn't behind him. "What?"

"Why are you at a hotel?" 

Sighing, Stiles stepped around the people filling the spaces between them and explained the whole situation to him, ending with, "So although I had plans to do a Cornish hen and some fixings, the more I realize the limitations of what I have to work with, I'll probably end up with a frozen dinner."

"No."

"No?" Stiles asked. "Not really your call, dude."

"It is when you can come to my apartment and join Laura and I." He held up the bag of cranberries. "You can make the sauce. And don’t call me dude.”

Insecurity over the invitation dampened the laughter that sprung to his lips at the last comment. "I don't want to intrude." His words were unsure as his mind raced at the idea of actually spending time with Derek after all of this time trying to get together, with the added stressor of already meeting his family. 

"It's not intruding, especially if you help cook. Come on," Derek said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the check out. 

"You still need oranges and lemons and a zester," Stiles argued, trying to tug his hand away but Derek just changed directions and dragged him towards the citrus, tangling their fingers together into a proper handhold, shooting Stiles a shy, questioning smile.

Squeezing his hand, Stiles let himself be led around the store. Conversation flowed easily between the both of them as they moved, catching up on each other's lives, apologizing for all of the missed chances and connections over the previous year. Standing in line, Stiles' phone chimed and he pulled it out of his pocket and saw his dad's name on the screen.

"Pops!" he said, answering the phone. "How's work? Did anyone bring food like last year?"

"I don't know," his father responded. "I'm standing in the middle of JFK."

"What? You're in New York?" His wide eyes met Derek's and his smile fell as he saw the frown on his face. "Are you getting a cab? I'm at the store, I can get-"

Derek took the phone out of Stiles' hand and held it to his own ear. "Sir, this is Derek Hale. I'm a friend of Stiles'."

Stiles couldn't hear his response, but they had reached the cashier at that point, so he took care of the cost as Derek continued to talk with his dad. He was taking his change when he heard Derek say, "We'll see you in about thirty minutes, sir."

"We?" Stiles asked, shoving his wallet back into his pocket as Derek grabbed the bags off the counter.

"I invited him to dinner," Derek said with a shrug. "He said it sounded better than whatever you would've been able to come up with in the hotel."

"You don't have...your sister will...This is too much," Stiles said, thinking even though they texted they hardly knew each other.

"Just say 'thank you,' Stiles," Derek said, leading him to a Camaro parked just outside the store and opening the passenger door for him.

Stiles watched him come around, leaning in and putting the grocery bag into the backseat before climbing in and starting the car. "Thank you, Stiles," he said, smirking when Derek shot a glare at him.

He fiddled with the radio as they made their way to the airport, Stiles texting with his father and trying to assure him that he hadn't been kidnapped by a complete stranger. It only took a slight reminder for him to remember who Derek was and then the teasing began. 

They were exiting the expressway when Derek spoke up again. "You are alright with this, right?"

"Little late to ask now, isn't it?" Stiles asked, smirking but reaching for Derek's hand on the gearshift and squeezing it gently. "Strangely enough, this feels right," he said and Derek nodded his head in agreement. "Even if it wins for the strangest first date in history."

"This isn't a date," Derek said and Stiles' entire being froze as he jerked his hand away and started debating throwing himself from the moving vehicle when he saw his father standing outside the terminal in front of them, looking up and around before glancing back down at his phone.

"Hey, hey," Derek said, turning the car into a parking lot just before the terminal and pulling into a spot before turning in his seat to face Stiles and locking the door when Stiles tried to open it and make a break for it. "Listen to me, dammit."

"Why? I've got it, I'm your charity project or something. You can feel good about-"

"Stiles, shut up. Stop talking," Derek said. "Just listen. I meant that I don't want this to be our first official date. We've been trying for an entire year to get together and I'm glad it's finally happening, but I'd rather this be a pre-date," he explained. "I was hoping that if today goes well you would be willing to go to a New Year's Eve party with me."

Stiles' heart was still racing, but the words got through. "Really?" Derek nodded, smiling. "Alright, New Year's Eve will be our first-first date," Stiles agreed. "Today will be our half-first date."

Derek laughed at that and backed out of the parking spot to go pick up Stiles' dad. "Half-first date," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head fondly as he took Stiles' hand in his again.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm josjournal over on tumblr. Come say 'Hi!'


End file.
